Of the two titles that made the grade, the MCDBA (Microsoft Certified
Database Administrator) was in a tie for the No. 10 spot, and the MCSA
(Microsoft Certified System Administrator) came in at No. 8. The MCSE
and MCP failed to make the list.

That doesn’t mean they’re not popular certifications, though. In fact,
just the opposite is true, according to Becky Nagel, editor of CertCities.com,
a site published by 101communications, the same company that owns this
magazine.

“The list isn’t about most popular certifications” Nagel says. “We’re
looking at the number of readers who hold a certification vs. the number
who say they’re going to get that [title] in next 12 months. Very established
certifications aren’t going to make the Hot Cert lists. We’re looking
at what certifications we think will grow.”

So, should you consider going after one of the top 10 certifications,
thinking it will enhance your value in the job market? Nagel doesn’t think
so. “You shouldn’t pick any certification because you see it on any kind
of list. We think you can see trends from this, and the trends are: No.
1, security’s hot; No. 2, there’s more interest in Linux and/or Unix certification
[than in the past]; and No. 3, there’s a renewed interest in certifications
with value. The harder the cert, it seems the more value it has. For example,
the CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE) is No. 1 this
year, and it wasn’t even on the list last year.”